


Limerence

by Feuer_Avri



Category: EXO (Band), GOT7, JJ Project, Monsta X (Band), Multi-Fandom, Super Junior, VIXX, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Ailuranthrope AU, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Fusion, F/F, F/M, Gen, Gender non-conformity, Genderfluid Character, I will update the tags as I go along, Inspired by other work, M/M, Multi, Slice of Life, Slow Build, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2018-12-09 17:06:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11673438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feuer_Avri/pseuds/Feuer_Avri
Summary: Limerence [n.]i. Infatuated, obsessive loveii. a completely altering state of mind, a result of an attraction to another--16-year-old werecat Park Chanyeol ran away from home and for two years he survived living in the Tehla protected rainforest, alone and away from civilisation, away from his family. One day, he saved a cub from the brink of death and his life changes.[Simultaneously posted on AFF under my other username: amberwu]





	1. Broken Frame

In the lush rainforest of Tehla, down by the jagged rocks and the mist-covered mountain of Hanha, was a small cleared area. A muted tent, designed to be camouflaged by the forest, was set up and a small fire was stoked. Chanyeol huddled close to it, stealing heat in the chilly weather. A few feet away, across small bushes with thorns and small berries from the tent was a river. It ran presumably from a lake upstream and paved a snaky line down the forest. It was wide enough with boulders just the right size to hold some weight if exerted on them peeking mismatched-ly above the smooth yet still fast night current.to cross the river to the other side would take agility, good reflexes and caution. Looks could be deceiving for the calm river was still dangerous to cross. A wiser eye would say to cross preferably when the tide was low and the water level manageable.

 

Chanyeol poked at his fire with a soot-covered twig, the remnants of the fish he caught burned slowly. He watched with glazed eye of a sated person as the fire licked the ashen bones, their sharpness melted and the amber conquered the tiny carcass. There went the last of his dinner. Lazily, he kicked some dirt to douse the flames and stood up stretching his long spine.

 

It was a cold night and it was only going to get even colder. His fur hood wouldn’t suffice to keep him warm until the morning. The tip of his nose was already touched by stray frosty winds. So no matter how much he tugged his hood over his face, he would rather not suffocate. The only consolation he got was it was not snowing. Yet.

 

The missing heat from the fire was totally dispersed, even when it was only a moment ago dismissed, so that’s how cold he was feeling by the minute. Into his tent he went and quickly he stripped off of his heavy clothing, the air equally freezing as outside as he felt the air bit at his naked body. Then he shifted, welcoming the familiar rearrangement of bones and skin.    

 

He purred.

 

It was a long awaited relief as warmth covered his entire body. Carelessly, he dropped his flank onto the scattered layers of random clothes and sheets he piled onto the sleeping bag he had as bed and stretched languidly renewing his scent and heat. He rubbed his snout with his paw and then he laid his head on his crossed front legs. His coat was thickening and it was a sweet defense against the winter. It was also very, very comfortable to just sleep all day and if it weren’t for his need to eat to survive, he would do just that. In the back of his mind, he remembered that he barely zipped his tent up fully in his hurry to shift.

 

He huffed warm air and closed his eyes. He could do that in the morning. There was no one around and he was far removed from any human civilisation. So it was a given that he was in a safe self-imposed exile. He was too confortable to move and nothing could move his huge body without his permission. And as he was alone, he could do whatever he wanted.

 

Soft rumblings intermittently came from his chest as he breathed softly. His long tail swished lazily around as sleep nipped at the edge of his consciousness. His ears flicked randomly as the sounds from his surrounding – the steady rush of water, cricket-songs overlapping with cicadas - helped lull him.

 

Before long, he was out.

 

 

-II-

 

 

His head snapped up and nostrils flared. He didn’t know what woke him up but instincts guided him in a moment of semi-awareness. His hackles rose and body poised in defense, upper body close to ground as he stilled. There was a sound. It was what roused him.

 

It took him a moment to place the sound. It was faint but when it came it rang long and desperate. As soon as he realised it sounded like a cry of help, he jumped out of his tent and scanned his area frantically for the source. It was silent again before he located where it came from.

 

It sounded like a kitten meowing desperately in the direction of the river.

 

Chanyeol’s heartbeat was drumming fast as he ran toward the increasingly pitiful calls. When his head broke through the shrubs and into the open air by the river, he was afraid he was too late. Several scenarios played in his head – the poor thing caught in the current unable to swim, being mauled by other predators of the wild, bleeding profusely on the stones and many other increasingly disturbing images of his making. What he saw wasn’t what he expected. And for that he was glad. He let of an involuntary call of his own and the frantic meowing that answered almost made him cry.

 

There was a tiny crib-like basket stuck in between two large moss covered rocks almost on the other side of the river. He almost missed it if he wasn’t focusing on the cry. The water lapped at the crib harshly when met by the resistance and Chanyeol didn’t doubt that some of it got inside. His stomach lurched at the thought. Carefully, he leaped at the rocks going steadily toward the soaked basket and tested the river to see if he could place his paw when the stones were far apart. It was cold but he could manage; the kitten was in a lot more danger than his soaked paws.

 

Hold on there, buddy, Chanyeol said when the cries sounded tired and not as frantic. God it was freezing and his heart felt heavy. Who the hell abandoned the poor guy here?

 

It was a relief when he finally got to nose at the basket – he smelled blood - and what he saw almost made him howl in grief. He let out a sad sound as he nosed at two still bodies of kittens. He licked at them to see if they would wake up but they were already stiff. They were dead long before he arrived.

 

Newborns they were. Dead newborns, maybe stillborn even. They were still wet with clear liquid and blood. Beside the two was a snuffling sibling of the dead ones that Chanyeol quickly took out the basket. Whoever put the newborns inside the crib placed this one covered by its dead littermates. Chanyeol bit the kitten gingerly around its scruff and brought it back toward his makeshift home.. For one, the kit probably survived because of its dead siblings, being protected against the harsh environment. The kitten whimpered sadly when the cold wind blew their way and it was shaking. Chanyeol purred to ease it

 

We’re almost there, you’re gonna be okay. Please be okay, pleaded Chanyeol.

 

He wanted to hurry and get the cub to safety but he didn’t want to endanger them both with him falling into the river and drowning them both. Each step he took carefully, pushing at the rocks to ensure they were steady. When he had to wade through the water, he tilted his maw up so the kitten wouldn’t get wet. As soon as he hit land, he rushed into his tent and placed the small body at the centre of his nest. He lay beside it and was glad when the cub nosed at his belly. It was alive and a survivor. Chanyeol would make sure of it. He pawed at his sheets and dragged them closer, cocooning the youngling from the cold.

 

That was when Chanyeol began to feel weird and there was this urge to knead his belly. When he looked down, the cub was nuzzling one of his nipples and he chuckled.

 

_You won’t get milk there, buddy._

 

He’d go out in the morning to see if he could find the closest road and a store to buy some cat food. For now, he hoped he could keep the cub alive until morning came. He looked on amused as the kitten managed to latch onto a nipple and began suckling. What took him by surprise was when he realised his body was providing milk for the young. Well, that did it then. That explained some aspects of his form that he didn’t want to think about. He was torn between feeling angry, weirded out, wanting to cry, and relief that he didn’t have to spend his meager amount of money to provide for the cub.

 

He focused on the suckling kitten instead and without knowing what he was really doing, began licking at the kitten. He was bathing it and was feeling quite happy while doing it. First, he realised that his cat form was able to produce milk like a female now he was peppering the youngling with his saliva like he’d seen a mother cat done to its litter. He figured he would just let nature fucked him up some more and take it then thinking about it too much and that would just lead to him being an angry and depressed teenager slash an overgrown cat (sometimes).

 

The kitten accidentally unlatched from suckling and it yowled from the lost of its food. Chanyeol considered pulling away before it could find another leaking nipple – goodness, he was leaking milk now (lactating, his mind supplied and he hated) – before his personal Jiminy Cricket scolded him for trying to starve an innocent little thing. He moved his belly a bit and the kitten didn’t need further instructions when presented with a tit in front of its hungry mouth. Its sharp teeth latched on too strongly and Chanyeol hissed in warning.

 

Chanyeol sighed and decided it wouldn’t hurt more to just lie comfortably as he feed the newborn. He dropped his head, belly exposed with a kitten softly pushing at his skin as it drink to its heart’s content. It was then he realised he didn’t know the gender of the thing he was feeding. He pawed at it gently and peeked.

 

It was a baby boy. A progressively healthy male cub that was apparently suckling milk like there was no tomorrow. He also knew that the cub was just like him, not a normal cub, his long tail gave his status as a shifter away, and that made him wonder if there were other werecats living in the forest, probably on the other side of the river or up the river because he’d never seen them before. There’s a small tingle in his gut when he thought of others like him and how many there were. This little one he was nursing looked like a little mountain lion, a cougar cub. His coat was tawny (a darker brown than Chanyeol) with black spots, all over his body, nothing like Chanyeol’s sun-coloured pale fur, with white on his underbelly and the diamond-shaped patch of white on his forehead. Further inspection showed that he didn’t have any stripes that adorned Chanyeol’s ankles. They were so different that Chanyeol was surprised his body could biologically even provide for the small man. What he could see in the dim light of dawn (he was a bit surprised he didn’t realise the sun coming up), there were some orange stripes much like crow’s feet adorning the kit’s brow.

 

Chanyeol licked the cub’s head just to amuse himself when its spit-slick hair stood up from his grooming and the youngling didn’t even pay him any heed. He purred in delight as he watched him feed. Here with him, warm and cared for, Chanyeol almost forgot that he rescued the kitten from dying of hypothermia. That brought him back to the two dead newborns in a basket at a river and Chanyeol solemnly reminded himself to bury them when the sun was high up, when he was sure he could leave the kit unattended in his tent. Human or cat, they deserved a proper burial.

 

For now he had a newborn kitten, still blind and deaf, that needed him. That depended on him, literally, to survive.

 

When he felt the pressure on his belly stopped, he found that the youngling had fallen asleep; its mouth hanging open in an ugly sight with Chanyeol’s abused nipple hanging abandoned by its cute little mouth. God, he already felt like he loved the little thing. He curled closer around the small snuffling body and tried to resume sleeping. It was still early. He would need to hunt soon – more than fish maybe – so he could compensate his body’s need to provide. Something warm filled him. This was the first time in a long time that he wasn’t alone.

 

 

-II-

 

“Alpha…”

 

“Not now. I’d like to be… alone for now,” Kris said, tense back to his second in command and he walked away without waiting for the reply.

 

He wanted to be alone, he was hurt and it never felt this intense before. He knew he should put on a brave face for everyone because that was what he was supposed to do. He was Tehla pride’s leader and he was supposed to be the strongest.

 

But why did it feel like he failed? That he was the weakest? By the sun, he had failed. And tonight was the worst thing that had happened.

 

Tonight, his children died.

 

The children that he had been waiting for a long time to meet and they didn’t even have the chance to see the world that he was going to teach them about. His beautiful daydreams about how they would look like, how many there would be, how they would grow up loved by all most by him, how he would teach them to hunt, how he would be joyous when they would first shift, to be taught their beliefs and to bask in the sun.

 

Now those dreams were long gone, destroyed when all three of his children were stillborns. It was a hard pregnancy, more so that they were conceived late in the year and to be born in winter. But for them all to not survive, it was crushing him. His first children didn’t get to live and what manner of wrong had he done to be punished this way?

 

He was there when they were delivered and it was a long labour. He was there with Yoona, soothing her in her pain as she tried to bring lives into the world. He pillowed her head in her ailure form as she birthed them one by one. And one by one, only silence was heard from the kits. Yoona cooed at them first softly that quickly turned distressed, licking their faces urging them to start breathing but they didn’t. He was there when Yoona was overcome with panic and started begging their children to wake up so she could nurse them.

 

I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Alpha, Yoona cried to him when their children refused to listen to their mother and open their mouths to answer her calls. He was there when he realised they would not see their litter move much less twitch to show them signs they were alive. They were still and he was numb. Yoona’s cries were drowned as he fell into an endless abyss of sorrow. Other ailures that were there in the house with them during the birthing slowly nosed him around his leg in a show of condolence and he felt hands pet his shoulders, his chest, his neck in sympathy. He could see when they brushed against Yoona to share her grief of her tragedy. But he needed to get away.

 

He silently collected the cubs’ still bodies, refusing to see their gender (he didn’t need a reminder that they were really gone), and carried them out of the main house and he cooed at them in his arms, asking for a miracle that would never come. He sat down somewhere on the pride ground with them in his arms, the numbness spreading. But he didn’t want to dwell longer in the open when he suddenly felt too oppressed that he needed to move. So he moved again.

 

He needed to bring them their pride’s burial ground but for some reason he didn’t want that. He didn’t want to lay them there along with their ancestors. He didn’t want their ancestors to see that he had failed the pride. He had failed as an Alpha. He had failed Yoona. He failed to have strong litters and their ancestors would frown upon his misgiving.

 

It was then he decided to turn away. He went into their storage house and looked around hurriedly. His eyes landed on a small basket. He touched it and hunted down some white sheets he could use as padding. When he deemed the basket good enough, he put the dead kittens into it (refusing to linger to touch them even when he desperately wanted to) and knowing almost everyone were at the main house except for the betas patrolling their perimeter, under the cover of the night, the sun’s eye absent, he went in the direction of the river.

 

He knew what he was doing was wrong but he couldn’t stop. He didn’t want them on the pride ground. He didn’t want to be reminded of his source of grief. He wanted them to be gone. He thought that if they were gone, he could forget that they were ever born in the first place. It was his fault that they died.

 

“I’m sorry,” he croaked as he put the basket on the water and watched it being brought by the current downstream. He hoped the river would take his grief away but the hole in his chest grew more and more until the drifting basket vanished from his sight. When he died, he would welcome the punishment for his crime.      

 

His second in command found him by the river, staring unseeingly at the running water.

 

When he walked away, he vowed to never experience the same grief again. And from that moment on, he would close his heart and lock his feelings away. He chose solitude and that he got with the excuse of grieving.

 

That night, away from everyone, he grieved alone and had never felt so lonely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Latch

_‘Cause we’re picture… perfect in a broken frame_

– Alex & Sierra

 

Some time had passed. They didn’t have the same concept of time as the human race, or putting the same amount of importance as they did in it.

 

Siwon eyed the beautiful misty splash of orange, red, blue and purple of the sunset sky. He had just finished his patrol and he shifted into his two-legged form and sat on one of the many large stones where the ailures spent most of their time sun bathing in either form. He sat and gave into thinking about their current situation. More importantly, thinking about the matter with their Alpha.

 

It had been some time indeed after the death of his Alpha’s children. And for the first four months, they had grieved along with him and Yoona for their lost. It had been taken hard by Kris more as they all knew how much their leader wanted children of his own. He could relate. He had children and he couldn’t even begin to imagine the hurt of losing one’s litter.

 

But it’s almost seven months since then. And Kris had changed drastically. Gone was the gentle Alpha that cared too much for each and every ailure of their pride. The one that would let them nudge him getting reassuring pats in return when he would walk around their ground just to see that they were comfortable. Now, he barely showed his face much less let the children run around his legs asking to be entertained. Most days, Kris would sit on the rocks overlooking the pride ground all day. He was doing his duty as an Alpha all right but he was also uncharacteristically aloof that it was with hesitation that any ailure would approach him. He was purposely distancing himself from everybody and everybody realised it.

 

As the Alpha’s second in command, Siwon felt that it his responsibility to save the former from his heart-eating guilt. It was unhealthy to not let things go and allowing the pain to fester inside. Their Alpha wasn’t much of a sharing person and Siwon thought that Kris must stop his wallowing. It did not just affect him but the whole pride. Even the young teenaged ailures could feel the tension. Whispers here and there about Kris’ ever-growing wall that was hard to scale – impossible to break down.

 

“Hey.”

 

Siwon startled. His mate had sidled up to his side and automatically he opened his arm to accommodate a snuggling mass.

 

“Hey,” replied Siwon. His heart instantly swelled at the sight of his life’s love.

 

“You’re coming home any time soon?” asked Kyuhyun softly.

 

Siwon chuckled. “Why? Did the cubs give you that much trouble?”

 

Kyuhyun huffed, faking annoyance and hit Siwon softly on the chest. But he didn’t say anything. Siwon snaked his arms around the other ailure’s middle and embraced Kyuhyun with what he knew was a suffocating affection. He nuzzled Kyuhyun’s dark hair and planted random kisses on the curls that smelled like home, children and them combined. It was an intoxicatingly good scent. They spent some time watching the sun went down slowly dimming the surrounding trees with their legs tangled together.

 

Like any other ailures, Siwon felt a pang of longing watching the sun going away to make way for its sister the moon.

 

“Where are the children?” Siwon asked. Kyuhyun sighed before answering.

 

“Seohyun stayed at the den to look after them for me.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“I came out to look for you,” Kyuhyun confessed, lifting his head slightly and looking at Siwon with hooded eyes. “You haven’t been home a lot lately…”

 

Siwon instantly felt guilty. “I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s okay. I know you’ve been patrolling the hunting grounds and I know you’ve been visiting the Dame’s lake. I don’t mind. How is she?”

 

Siwon took a moment to answer, getting distracted from Kyuhyun’s light caresses as he played with Siwon’s fingers, gently lifting them and putting his hand in his smaller one. Kyuhyun was a dame so it was only natural that his physique was more slender between them two.

 

“She’s better now. The other dames are with her, helping her with her loss. She’s strong, a hunter and in no time she would be back with the others running games to the ground.”

 

Yoona’s state was a lot better compared to their Alpha. If the dame could cope, why couldn’t their leader?

 

 

-II-

 

 

He walked. Minding his own business. He walked for hours it felt like. His silence a stark contrast to the droning rustles of leaves, grass and the likes as he brushed against them. Sometimes, it took him awhile to realise he had gone further down than he intended, past his pride grounds, past the hunting area and went beyond.

 

He had been doing this lately. Going off alone and only his thoughts for company. It was a form of meditation. And mapping new areas was a preparation for the unforeseeable future, he convinced himself. It snuffed the spark of guilt when he felt he was abandoning his duties at times he wanted solidarity.

 

His ears flicked about, hearing the soothing rush of water. He was near the river then. The river that he gave his dreams up to. His children. This was another thing he’s been doing lately. Whenever his thoughts strayed to them, he felt compelled to stop by the river and just looked. Looking for what, he didn’t know. He would sit, sometimes silently lying down, and keep vigil by the waters. He would feel the random sprays of water and the roiling wind, dry but cold made by the steady gush of water.

 

He was far from the pride grounds, but he wasn’t lost. He could easily trek his way back but the sun was still high in the sky albeit covered by thin layers of mist – clouds – and it was bright. He made his way to the river at a leisurely pace.

 

He really was further down. This part of the river was smattered with big rocks. Big enough that he could cross with no trouble at all. So he did.

 

He was curious enough about the other side of the river. There was never any need for him or the other ailures to go out of the pride. They were self-sufficient and if ever the need arise to get something from the human, they would go down the other side of their home to the small conservative town to trade their meat or trinkets that they could make out of the remains of their bigger games.

 

But never to this side of the forest.

 

Because there was never any need to venture out here. The pride ground was safe and accommodating enough for their population. Compared to others, his pride was small and still growing and he was a young Alpha – still learning and still establishing his territory. The previous Alpha might rule with old traditions and he was a well-respected leader but he was still conservative compared to Kris, hiding away from the humans but never forbidding them to go to the town as long as they were in their human form and never causing trouble. When Kris was younger, in his teen, he frequented the town and learned to read anything he could get his hands on. Their pride was still very well hidden in the forest but quite close to the human population and sometimes they would show themselves to curious hikers or campers and Kris was fine with that. He wanted to establish a good, symbiotic relationship with humans.

 

Kris was born right after the war between the ailures and the humans. Their population was greatly reduced then and although Kris’ pride was never a part of the war it still affected them and their ways of thinking. At least, the thinking of the elders, those who lived to see the war and had seen the loss.

 

The largest, strongest ailure pride, the Bonhwang Pride was entirely wiped out. The closest thing they got to royalty and the whole species of the ailure went extinct just like that – at the hands of humans and their technology. Kris could sympathise with the great tragedy, he understood the mistrust toward humans but he could also see that not all of them are bad. In his seven years of leadership, he had developed a good relationship with the town’s leader. That was the first thing he had done when he became Alpha. He went down to the humans and proposed a beneficial trade between their species. Kris prioritised education and most of his ailures are well read since young, courtesy of the agreement. In exchange for allowing ailures to set foot protected into the town, Kris decreed that humans are allowed into his forest as long as his people were not harmed. In a short time although gradually, the town became popular for its good relationship with the ailures and they were the main attraction for tourists. The small town became economically progressive and the young ailures are given free reign to the town’s commodities. It was very fortune at times like this, when the weather became too cold too harsh and they had supplies of thick clothes to keep the younglings safe and warm.

 

He must have been so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t realise something had bumped into his legs and tumbled from his bigger stature. A yowl of pain snapped him back into reality. A dull throb blossomed on his front leg from the impact.

 

Oh my, he said surprised at the sobbing mess at his feet.

 

It was an ailure cub. Its fur extremely fluffy and face so chubby – body so chubby. It was glaring at Kris with hatred – alternatively hissing defensively at Kris and whining pathetically, cradling its head as if Kris was to blame for knocking it to the ground and bruising the kit. Kris cooed in apology but he was dismissed. As soon as the cub was on its feet, it snarled before skedaddling frantically into the shrubs and was long gone.

 

Kris was perplexed. What a very strange encounter, such strong scorn in a puny body.

 

And suddenly he was very, very interested.  


	3. Paper Heart

_If there are boundaries, I will try to knock them down I’m latching on_

\- Sam Smith

 

Something small sniffed at his nose. Chanyeol was lying lazily in his neat nest of heated clothes. He was dozing off actually, feeling achy all over, exhaustion brought over from his late night hunt. The seeking nose bumped against nose again and his face scrunched up when whiskers annoyingly slapped him. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes when he heard the equally annoyed meows – the one who disturbed him wanting attention fast. An expectant cub was looking at him.

 Chanyeol groaned and twisted his body so he was facing the other side, which was received by an indignant squawk from the kit. Before long, it jumped onto Chanyeol’s lax body scrambling ungracefully, climbed him (Chanyeol growled in warning when the cub’s sharp claws poked his belly, one of these days Chanyeol would find a way to trim those talons blunt) and its fuzzy little head tried to worm under Chanyeol’s front legs. Blindly, Chanyeol lifted his limb to accommodate the little brat that purred when he managed to cuddle against Chanyeol, its face happily smushed into Chanyeol’s snow-coloured bosom.

 However, it meowed again. Chanyeol mentally grunted. When Chanyeol made no audible reply, still wanting to sleep, it head-butted Chanyeol under the jaw and Chanyeol frowned with eyes closed. Another rough nudge made him sigh. Resigning to a fate of constant interruption, Chanyeol lifted his head and stared at the excited cub (properly snuggled in his embrace).

 

 _Was wondering when I’d see your little butt again. Going off on your own when I tell you to stay put_ , Chanyeol’s voice was dripping with sarcasm and the little cub managed to look at him sheepishly. It meowed again and Chanyeol’s head instantly filled with bursts of colours – green, white and golden.

 It found a butterfly and was chasing it.

  _Oh joy_ , said Chanyeol.

If he could roll his eyes in his cat form, he would. He didn’t say anything else and stared hard at the cub to show how angry and worried he was when the little angel decided he was big enough to go off on his own and didn’t even reply to any of Chanyeol’s panicked calls some time ago. To show how irritated he was, Chanyeol shoved the little fuzzy head down, gently of course and got up. He walked to the other side of the small tent and plopped his hind down, fully intending to ignore his disobedient cub.       

Sadness filled his heart all of a sudden and Chanyeol’s ear twitched. The kit was not above using his emotions to have Chanyeol’s attention.

The first time it happened, Chanyeol was feeding the babe and gently purring at it, his paw slowly brushing against the kit’s fuzzy newborn fur. Drowsiness hit him hard out of nowhere and the feeling of warmth and safety followed. It took awhile for Chanyeol to pick up on the fact that those were not his emotions and he looked at the then snoozing kit and marvelled at how the kit was able to project his thoughts. And he was only about three months old if Chanyeol calculated correctly. It made Chanyeol ached for his home, his parents and his siblings and wondered if he too could do the same when he was a cub. Did he project so early? Did his siblings?

From then on, Chanyeol would see or feel something at the most random of times courtesy to the little one. Following the sentiment sharings, Chanyeol began to openly talk to the kitten, just sweet nothings and constant coos when Chanyeol found the cub adorable. Although it understood Chanyeol most of the time, it had yet to say something to him other than pathetic yowling and curious mewls. What a bundle of joy.

 Before long, seven months had passed. And Chanyeol became too attached.

 

-II-

 

“Jagi?”

 “Eo?” Soeun replied, body still pliant and eyes shut. Her tiny body swayed when warm weight settled onto her bed. There was a kiss atop her mop of auburn hair and subconsciously she smiled. Strong yet gentle warm hand ran down her back and she shivered in pleasure, body arching in search of her mate’s body.

 “Good morning, honey,” Jaerim whispered in her ear. His scent enveloped her sensitive sense as his nose ran down the back of her neck – scent-marking the young dame as his.

 “Morning,” Soeun sighed.

 She blindly searched for Jaerim, and he snagged her cold hand into his. Soeun felt his lips, curled into a small smile, against her knuckles before he rubbed her chills away. Her ears twitched as Jaerim settled his powerful and bigger body beside hers, that his build almost ensconced her and he wrapped his toned arms around her flat belly.

 Soeun turned so her face was buried into Jaerim’s taut chest. Giving into instinct, she inhaled deeply and rubbed her sharp nose against her mate’s thin shirt. If it wasn’t for the cold of winter, Jaerim would go around topless and with as little clothing as possible. Ah, it’s so unfortunate, Soeun thought.

 She opened her eyes. And Jaerim was looking at her face with an unreadable expression, eyes shining always so mischievously.

“What?” Soeun asked amused. Jaerim was… a unique ailure.

 Jaerim grinned, his smile charming. “You’re so beautiful, it’s like Sol gifted you personally to me and you render me breathless.”

 Soeun couldn’t help but laugh. Typical of Jaerim. “My husband, don’t be so weird so early in the morning.”

 Jaerim only kissed the side of her mouth. “I like you happy, Soeun. You make me happy.”

 And Soeun couldn’t help thinking that she was happy indeed. When she allowed Jaerim to mate her, she couldn’t think of the time she spent before she was with him that made her insides fluttered. Jaerim made her happy too.

 

 

-III-

 

 

Kris settled silently, camouflaging his tawny coat perfectly amongst the few dying bushes, thick and blackened. The rest with multitude shades of green provided cover from the cold wind. He stilled, shoulders hunched, making himself look smaller, as if he was biding his time stalking a prey and he waiting to pounce in for a kill. He had the perfect vantage point from his spot.

He was hiding. Had been doing so for the past few days. He just had to wait.

Just then, something up ahead moved, rustling up the green and if Kris could smirk, he would. A few more rustling, and a tiny brown head of a cougar youngling popped out.

 Ever since Kris met the mysterious cub, one that was not from his pride and smelt dangerously of outsiders, Kris began to worry. He began a plan to scout where the cub came from and to see if there was any threat or was there another pride that settled so near to his and that he didn’t know about it sooner was suspicious. The only thing he knew as of that moment was that the child lived somewhere downstream and on the opposite side of his own home.

 It wasn’t hard to hunt down the cub the very next day. Its scent reeked all over the place and Kris thought, perplexed, that there were only _two_ _ailure_ scents – the kit’s and another that smelt so sweet – a _dame_ – that he supposed was its mother. He was in their territory now and he needed to be very careful. When he realised that they were pride-less, rogue ailures, Kris didn’t know what to do. He had never accepted any rogue ailures into his pride, and the ones who came into his territory were part of the exchange with other prides to strengthen their good relationships with others. Not just that, never before had there been any exchange of dames with younglings of their own. Kris backed out a little then when he realised there was no threat, just a tiny family carving a small spot in the forest to live.

But that didn’t mean Kris was not at all still curious of the cub. Their first encounter left a strong impact. It was not something he could dismiss easily.

Before long, he figured out the cub was a handful. It would come out to play some time mid-morning and Kris would shadow it as it moved in every direction it wanted, sometimes slow sometimes too fast and it would paw at anything that it found interesting enough. It would then disappear into the direction it came from when the sun was high up in the sky and would be back prancing around smelling content and full (so it went back to eat, Kris noted). Late afternoon, when Sol would go down for Wol, pink hue tinting the sky, the cub would then again go back. The cycle repeated and Kris became well acquainted with the cub’s schedule.

He found it amusing that the cub never noticed that he was there. What was more interesting was that Kris had never ever seen the child’s mother. Its scent was thick on the cub and the alpha knew that the cub was well loved; it always radiated happiness and Kris basked in its joyful thought projection (and sufficiently fed apparently, the cub was chubby and round but healthy).  

 Kris realised gradually that he found a better way to spend his days.

The cub he was stalking currently began to move, first contenting itself by playing with the ground and tumbling around, climbing trees it could but then it perked up and began to run. Kris blinked in surprise. He frowned mentally.

This was not the direction it usually went to. Apprehension dawned unto him as he followed the cub as it made its way to the river. No no…

Kris hastily followed the young as it made its merry way toward the river. When the scent of fresh breeze that wafted from the body of water got stronger, Kris came out of his hiding. The cub still had not noticed him, its small steps nimble as it jumped onto the first stone. 

The cub was trying to cross the river and the tide was high. It was an accident waiting to happen. Time began to slow down as Kris watched, in dread, as the kit tumbled down into the water and its head gone under. The water was rushing it down.

Without preamble, Kris dove into the freezing river and managed to see the cub wriggling trying to stay afloat and frantically crying out. Giving his all, he tried swimming closer and closer, calling out to the cub but the current drowned his attempts. The cub could barely hear him. After what felt like forever, Kris managed reach the youngling and he strongly clamp his jaw around the kit’s body and Kris’ forelegs burned from exertion as he made his way towards land.

The kit whimpered as Kris collapsed on the bank. It fell when the alpha dropped it from his maw. The poor shivering mess curled itself smaller and Kris’ chest rumbled to sooth it. Kris nudged it and sniffed to check if there was any injury and he thanked Sol nothing worse happened. The cub was only traumatised, no permanent harm done.

Emotions he couldn’t dissect filled Kris. Pitying the cub, Kris picked it up again and found the closest spot he deemed fine and settled the cub down. He rearranged his massive body to make a fort against the wind as he shared his body heat with it. The cub was quiet, only its sniffles told Kris it was fine and breathing.

 Kris shushed it, _you’re safe now, cub. Go to sleep, you’re exhausted._

 The kit complied and before long, Kris got a sleeping cub, slightly wet but breathing calm and deep. Kris wanted to sleep along but he was afraid something wrong would happen when he’s unconscious.

 A threatening growl made him jumped in defense, the cub hidden behind his bulk and his chest rumbled back, strong that commanded an Alpha’s power.

But Kris was instantly frozen.

In front of him was a magnificent ailure, fur golden and snow white as if reflecting Sol’s rays standing proud and elegant, whiskey-coloured eyes narrowing at him in a barely controlled rage. There was a diamond on its forehead like a crown on a king, amplifying its breathless magnificence. There were black marks on its legs that Kris had never seen before. Exotic.

 _Stay away from my cub,_ it snapped at Kris; hackles bristling challengingly.

 It’s a _sabertooth_ dame and it was very, _very_ angry.

 Kris’ eyes widened in surprise. This was the cub’s mother. And Kris was in trouble, in her territory and Kris had touched her child without permission. She’s prepared to fight him, her long sharp claws out.

 And it looked like she’s not backing down.  


	4. 아파 (Hurt)

_And I hold a piece of yours_

– Tori Kelly

 

Chanyeol was worried _sick._ The sun was fast setting and his cub was nowhere to be found. Usually, it wasn’t that unusual for the youngling to forget that Chanyeol was waiting for him came dinnertime, that Chanyeol _existed_. That little brat. But it was usually solved when Chanyeol called for him and the happy thing naturally would roll around, fur a bit matted with an assortment of twigs and leaves, and the occasional mud he got from playing near the river. The cub’s goofy show of tiny fangs resembling a grin absolved him of his sins to Chanyeol. No matter how many years had been shaved off of Chanyeol’s life in the past year. (God, it had been a _year_ ). Where could the cub be? Chanyeol worried his thumb and before long he was shrugging off his clothes and landed on four legs, zipping out of their tent.  

 

It was a snap decision to move their home further in the forest for fear of the child drowning when Chanyeol wasn’t around. It was around six months in that the cub was capable of sneaking out that once Chanyeol found it almost putting its itsy-bitsy paw into the water out of sheer child curiosity. He only looked away for a second! He felt miffed and was pretty sure he had a heart attack. The cub was properly chastised when Chanyeol growled at him into submission and nose-butting the young one into the tent for more lecture on danger and safety. That’s when they moved, far closer to land food sources, a growing patch that he gardened, that Chanyeol dabbled with in case his money ran out. Running water and raising an active cub did not go well together. True, it was a longer walk when Chanyeol wanted to get some drinking and bathing water but his protectiveness flared brighter, triumphing over the issue of ease in distance. It was only recently that Chanyeol felt a bit better letting the cub near the body of water. He was already big that Chanyeol would know when his cub planned to play by the river. And time and time, the little one would get a warning to _never_ cross the river, no matter what.

 

Chanyeol felt like his heart was rattling against his bosom. The cub’s scent was everywhere, of course and his calls were neglected. Thank god the sun was taking pity on him that it was still shining brightly despite the time being almost dusk. His instinct, whatever you’d call it; a caregiver’s intuition, gut feeling, good sense of smell, led him first to the river.

 

There was a sinking feeling in his stomach when he reached the bank. He saw nothing. But he did smell the faint trace of his cub’s scent. _Oh god._

Chanyeol felt like crying but he was closer to shock, probably. He turned his head up and scented the air. His kitten must have played by the river; he must have crossed over or something. The scent here was thicker and fresher than anywhere but Chanyeol refused to believe something bad had happened until there was proof, certain evidence of it. Yes, he must have crossed the river and was probably on the other side. Yes, that must have been why the kitten didn’t hear his calls.

 

In his panicky and worried state and with a single-minded determination Chanyeol pushed his way through until he got to the other side of the forest. He had never set foot here and the unfamiliar feeling almost overwhelmed him that he almost missed it.

 

His cub was here!

 

He was rushing to where he smelt the scent was strongest that he almost missed another, much foreign _smell_ that once it registered on his olfactory, warning signs flashed in his head. Without meaning to, Chanyeol let out a harsh and unfiltered growl as he stalked closer to the source.

 

He must have been suicidal when he snapped his teeth at a werecat the colour of sepia but he was seeing red, and all of him urged to rip the intruder away from his sleeping cub. All he saw was a threat and that _thing_ must get away from his cub soon, or else.

_Stay away from my cub._

He was surprised he even managed to say something when all he wanted to do was attack and _demolish._

 

The other werecat lifted its head so fast that Chanyeol could see its deer-caught-in-headlights look. But it didn’t move, only stared at Chanyeol that the latter stepped closer and his chest rumbled some more.

 

It finally looked like the stranger got his message. Keeping its pale grey eyes on Chanyeol, the cat slowly lowered its head, ink-dipped ears flat against its head, like in greeting and submission that Chanyeol realised that _he_ was posturing. Chanyeol’s talon-like claws slowly retracted, feeling a slight embarrassment for his action.

 

 _I can explain,_ the sepia-coloured puma suddenly said to Chanyeol.

 

Chanyeol almost jumped when he heard its- _his_ voice. He didn’t say anything after that but as he rose, Chanyeol realised that the other werecat was actually _massive_ in build. Instantly, he felt uneasy when the other finally stood in full height and slightly towered over Chanyeol. His snout was level with Chanyeol’s eyes. If he wanted to, he probably could rip Chanyeol to shreds. And Chanyeol really wanted to grab his cub and ran.

 

 _Here,_ the strange werecat finally said, head gesturing to the tiny youngling. _He fell into the water and I was only providing him body heat so he’d stop shivering._

Chanyeol let out a relieved whimper when he saw his sleeping cub. The other werecat slowly distanced himself and Chanyeol was so grateful for that. He immediately nuzzled his cub, feeling some wet patches and exhaling at the fast yet strong heartbeat of the cub. The stranger’s scent was on his child, and it took everything in Chanyeol to not bundle the cub up in his own scent. The little thing had the decency to let out an annoyed huff at Chanyeol ministration. After all that he’d put Chanyeol through.

 

 _You scared me, god, never ever, never again,_ Chanyeol whispered, and licked the tiny sleeping face.

 

 

-II-          

 

Kris was certain he was going to get at least a mauling but the dame all but crumbled at the sight of her cub. He felt a slight pang. They would have been the cub’s age if they-

 

He looked away when he heard the dame’s plea as she scented her young. This cub was definitely loved. And he felt like he was intruding on a family moment. He should leave them and never come back. He was thinking of leaving when he heard her.

 

 _Thank you_ , she said, eyes so expressively grateful and Kris shook his head in reply. _I’m sorry for almost attacking you…and for how I behaved, I wasn’t thinking straight._

_I understand._

_No, I feel bad, at least let me repay you…with food,_ she insisted.

 

Kris should’ve declined but the sabertooth ( _Oh Sol, she_ is _a sabertooth_ ) looked like she was expecting a yes and Kris was raised to be a courteous ailure. Silently, he nodded and was struck when the beautiful ailure practically beamed at him. She really was regal, the diamond-adorned head tipped gracefully as she picked her cub up and walked toward the river, strides purposeful. Her head turned once, making sure Kris was following her and he did.

 

 

-III-

 

  

Jonghyun narrowed his eyes, pursed his lips in deep thought. The Alpha was nowhere to be found, not uncommon, but Sol was already painting the sky rosé. Wherever he was during the day, Kris was usually back before night fell. Jonghyun went looking for the elusive leader to tell him the good news of his new mating to Seungyeon.

 

When he caught sight of Seojun and his mate on patrol by the Alpha’s residence, he called out a greeting before asking either of them the location of Kris.

 

“Come to think of it, we haven’t seen him since this morning,” Seojun said. “Well, I saw him last during breakfast,” he turned to his dame. Hyungsik shrugged at Jonghyun, telling him the same.

 

“Maybe he’s visiting Yoona or out hunting,” Hyungsik suggested.

 

Jonghyun nodded his thanks and the paired couple went to continue their rounds. He watched as the two conversed, the gentle smile on Seojun’s face suited him. Hyungsik was animatedly telling his mate a story and both had that undeniable sparkle in their eyes as they looked at each other.

 

Jonghyun remembered when they first met. It was not pretty. Their fights were constantly the source of exasperated sighs from their elders. They had gone head to head almost the moment their eyes met; the usually levelheaded Seojun poised to retaliate if attacked and Hyungsik’s radiant smile replaced with a vicious snarl. Once, their fight was so physically brutal that the younger dame almost lost his life. But that was all in the past. There really was a thin line between love and hatred.

 

Thinking that his search for Kris was going to be in vain, he sighed. Maybe today was not the day to relay the news.

 

 

-IIII-

 

 

_Wait a moment. I’ll prepare something for you to eat._

Before Kris could decline, the young sabertooth dame made her way into a well-worn tent he only just noticed. She quickly disappeared behind the flaps, carrying her sleeping cub along. She must have felt cautious still, with Kris an unknown alpha ailure in her territory. It was a wise move to want to hide your young from an unknown predator.

 

With nothing better to do, Kris settled where he stopped. The weather was too cold for him to shift into his human form and he did not bring any warm clothes. He surveyed the area again. The living space was modest. Almost minimalist, in fact. There was a patch of upturned soil and some rather lush-looking vegetables neatly planted in patches. If Kris were not mistaken, he could spot some garlic, spinach and asparagus. The tiny vegetable plot was desirable, and Kris wondered how the dame managed to grow them. The alpha could also see that another patch was in mid-construction, probably planned for more plants, maybe for spring. The place was quiet too, Kris realised the place was strategically hidden. The dame must have marked her territory well. If Kris did not know better, he would never have expected somebody to live here. By the sun, how long has she been living so close by?


	5. Whatever It Takes

 

_Why does my wounded heart keep searching for you?_

_Your callous expression hurts me…_

_They hurt so much_

\- GOT7

 

 

Down in the town nearest to the Tehla forest reserve where the pride resided was a small community of human folk that welcomed the ailures. The hospitality was not without some reservations, however. Due to the fairly recent relationship between the two species formed with the treaty and with Kris’ law prioritizing education, one of the two universities, Amberwood University currently housed several ailure youths. Thank Sol that the younger generations of human students were rather progressive that they did not mind the felines at all.

 

Kim Yugyeom was one of humans living in this town. He was nineteen, barely out into the world as an adult with cheeks still reminiscent of his pampered teenhood. Still fresh-eyed and untouched by the pressures of society. When he entered Amberwood, he promised himself he’d do his parents proud. He was staying in the dorms, telling his mum he’d like to experience living alone. He declined his dad’s offer to pay for his dorm rent, getting part-time jobs instead as a barista at the closest café to the university, and as an assistant dance instructor. He didn’t mind one bit, feeling so happy that he got to major in Dance and living a carefree life. So far so good and he always prayed it stayed that way. Much like other people, Yugyeom was of course curious of the ailures. But not to the point that he wanted to stalk them, unlike some fanatics. That was just borderline creepy and invasive.

 

There were two he knew of attending his school. Yugyeom got to know bits and pieces about them from the whisperings and some kind of awe-inspiring worships from friendly acquaintances he definitely did not eavesdropped from. (There was another one that had graduated just before Yugyeom enrolled.) He did see them in passing and if Yugyeom was not observant by nature, they would not have pinged as ‘others’ in his radar. But that’s the thing, Yugyeom _noticed._

 

Jaebum and Jinyoung were their names. The one who left a year before was called Jin. ( _Huh, all their names started with a J_ ). Yugyeom was not sure if they even had last names.

 

Maybe they were in their final year, he wasn’t too sure.

 

He remembered taking Street Dance with the one called Jaebum and Modern Dance with the other. It was the unspoken truth that ailures were naturally graceful and something in them definitely said ‘not human’. It was in the way they _moved_ , and despite sharing the same humanoid form; they could not quite produce gestures like humans did. And that was why Yugyeom was fascinated by ailures in general. But of course, the other species was typically elusive so it was no surprise that Jaebum and Jinyoung were rarely seen participating in any school festivities and none had dared approach the two. They kept to themselves. Rumour was the two were a ‘mated’ pair and from what Yugyeom understood that meant that the pair was basically married, no?

 

He knew next to nil about ailure genders, only that it was different from a human’s standard definition of sex, and that when they mated one’s got to be the female one. The two did seem practically inseparable, preferring to be in each other’s pockets more often than either one of them talking to others.

 

So it was just his luck that it happened to be that one fine evening, the infamous ailure pair walked into the café he worked in.    

 

Yugyeom barely got his apron tied properly, making his way to the counter as he exchanged pleasantries with Hera, a coworker. The café was quiet, a few students sparsely situated busy with whatever they brought in: books, pads or laptops. It was the weekend so the number was to be expected as most probably went home to rest and having had their clothes laundered. The bell rang and the first year university student automatically looked up, hands holding red apron strings hanging in the air. The standard greeting stuck in his throat.

 

Jaebum was keeping the door open with one hand, body slightly tilted backwards to the glass door and one hand raking his copper-coloured wild locks off his eyes. Jinyoung entered, eyes downcast on the book he was reading, dark hair tinted brown from the dying sunlight. He barely spared any attention to his surrounding as he was making a beeline for Yugyeom. Jaebum followed with a languid pace tugging his jacket closer. Both stopped in front of him; Jinyoung putting his book on the counter. Jaebum moved close to Jinyoung basically bracketing his left shoulder. Yugyeom quickly tied a neat bow.

“Welcome, good evening. What can I get you?” Yugyeom almost stuttered when two sets of very unusual eyes landed on him. He smiled slightly. _Be cool, Yugyeom_.

 

This close to them under the artificial café lights, Yugyeom could see that Jinyoung’s eyes were so pale, they were the palest grey-blue with pupils almost slits he’d never seen on a human before. Jaebum was no different, eyes a kaleidoscope of colours he wasn’t sure they were yellow, brown, or green. Hazel would be a safe bet, but hazel could not adequately describe those irises. He was pretty sure he’d seen those eyes on mountain lions. He watched as they tracked the menu behind him and on the counter. Oh hey, Jaebum got two moles above his left eye, just below his sharp brow that he initially thought were piercing scars.

 

Yugyeom could take his time; only these two were queuing.  

 

As they contemplated their orders, Yugyeom took the chance to scan the two. One glance, they looked so different from one another. Jaebum gave him that bad boy vibe with his multiple piercings and snakebites, his high cheekbones, sharp jawline and reddish hair. But maybe the hair was natural, he couldn’t be sure with their kind. His black turtleneck and black leather jacket really contrasted with Jinyoung’s (slightly) softer look. The grey-eyed ailure on the other hand, looked like a typical college student with striped turtleneck and cream petticoat, not a hair out of place and ears void of accessories. His lashes were quite long and lips naturally full, almost pouty. Where Jinyoung was delicate and warm in appearance, Jaebum were all quiet hard edges. But somehow, Yugyeom pondered, they looked like they matched. Like they worked together.

 

“We’ll have two Americanos, tall and whatever dessert you have. Make that two as well,” Jinyoung said, voice surprisingly deep but sweet and his eyes crinkled as he smiled. It wasn’t even a faked polite smile, it was genuine and Yugyeom grinned. He nodded and quickly punched the order in.

 

“Two Americanos coming up. You sure you don’t want to have your pick?” Yugyeom spread his arm in flourish at their food display.

 

“Surprise us.” This time Jaebum said, handing Yugyeom his card. Jinyoung already made his way to an empty table, book cracked open.

 

“Alright, I’ll bring your order to you shortly,” Yugyeom grinned, his eyes almost disappearing. Jaebum made his way to the other. (He really moved like a predator). Yugyeom eyed the ailure, quirking an eyebrow when Jaebum sat next to Jinyoung pulling his chair closer to the other. Jaebum rested his head on top of his chair and closed his eyes. They weren’t touching but close enough. _Huh._

 

It didn’t take long for Yugyeom to complete the order. When he was looking through the pastries he wasn’t sure they wanted savoury or sweet. _Do they even eat human food?_ In the end, he chose their warm almond crusted, jam filled puffs drizzled in organic honey.

 

“Here you go,” Yugyeom announced cheerily, carefully placing the drinks, pastries and cutleries on their table before wishing they enjoyed their meal. He placed Jaebum’s card and receipt on the table too. As he was about to go, the nineteen-year-old caught sight of the title on Jinyoung’s book.

 

“Hey, I have that book!” Before he could stop himself, Yugyeom blurted out in excitement shamelessly pointing at his customer’s book. Well, Yugyeom wasn’t known for his tact.

 

The two were obviously startled but Jinyoung’s face suddenly morphed to fondness. “You read Sáenz too?”

 

Yugyeom nodded, “So far I’ve only just finished _Last Night I Sang To The Monster_ , and got a few pages of this one in.”

 

He didn’t know how it was possible but Jinyoung’s face positively glowed and Yugyeom felt like he just started something good. And he realised how cheesy that sounded.

 

    

-I-

 

 

_“Listen well, Jinyoung. From this moment onwards, you are promised to another.”_

Jinyoung had only celebrated seven cycles of seasons and uncomprehendingly he asked his sire. “Am I to be sent away?”

 

“No, my little lioness. It means that one day, you’ll be mated to another ailure, one so big and strong he could protect you from anything,” his dam said instead, nuzzling Jinyoung’s nose and little giggles erupted from the tiny body. He watched as his sire and granddame smiled, pleased with him.

 

It wasn’t until Jinyoung was on his twelfth year he understood that he was _bonded_ to another, to be _breed_ by an ailure he barely knew for the sake of continuing the blood of two old traditionalist families. He was a white Inca liger of the Tehla pride and he learnt that his promised was a russet-coloured young tigon from a tigon family that migrated to be under Tehla Alpha’s protection that came when Jinyoung was fourteen years of age.

 

_His name was Jaebum, his future mate._

 

 

-II-

 

“Hey, you’re here early.”

 

Kris smiled indulgently. He muttered a polite hello to the young sabertooth dame who beamed at him with unadultered pleasure. He chuckled at the other’s enthusiastic pat on the padded tent floor, urging the alpha to sit. He went down without much protest.

 

“So, how’s your day?” Kris asked.

 

Chanyeol laughed as he stroked the purring cub in his arms. The little one was sleeping, unperturbed by its dame’s shaking frame.

 

“I should be asking you. You know I don’t really have much excitement going on.”

 

His voice was deep with a hint of a lisp Kris found endearing. The fact that Chanyeol always greeted him so joyfully changed his mind to stay away after their first encounter.

 

“Not much on my side either,” Kris said.

 

They mostly talked about mundane things; the weather, what Chanyeol ate for lunch, and sometimes, random stories of ailures in Kris’ pride. Chanyeol seemed to like it when Kris talked about his pride members. He could see the sadness in the dame’s eyes when Kris had to leave and the hint of longing in his voice.

 

Kris was surprised when the dame first shifted. He wasn’t expecting a male humanoid form, and not one so young. His protective instincts were running on high. When they were properly introduced, Chanyeol admitted that he was a runaway teen and had been living right under Kris’ nose for almost three years.

 

Kris was appalled. Chanyeol had mistaken the look on his face as anger and had apologised for breaking into what was Kris’ territory without permission. He really had not known that there were ‘werecats’ living there too. That was when Kris realised that Chanyeol knew nothing of his own culture; he and his two older siblings were adopted by a human pair and were raised as one of them. Chanyeol’s parents were university professors and knew little of ailures. According to the dame, the humans who adopted them were doing volunteer work at an animal shelter where the three tiger cubs were dropped off. Apparently, they were rescued from somewhere his parents weren’t privy of. Lucky for them, Chanyeol’s parents recognised an ailure marking and had demanded they be adopted.

 

The alpha decided then not to tell Chanyeol of his suspicions. It was not something Kris was even sure of, although his gut was telling him that Chanyeol was part of the extinct Bonhwang Pride. The age matches. The pride was thoroughly demolished and the media covered it as a government project gone wrong instead of admitting to an ailuranthrope massacre. It was a taboo to speak of the witch-hunts and misguided purist propagandas against their kind prior to the Bonhwang’s end. Maybe Chanyeol’s dame or sire or whoever was in his pride managed to smuggle the kits out, thank Sol. The sabertooth dame was safe here, and it was all for the better. Maybe it was best not to say anything, when even he was uncertain.

 

“I have something to tell you,” Chanyeol said cheerily. “I think I found the perfect name for him.”

 

Kris smiled, “Finally? It’s about time. How long has he been nameless again?”

 

“I think it’s already been more than a year now. It’s not like I want him nameless.”

 

Kris thought for a moment before replying. “He hasn’t shifted, right?”

 

At the mention of that, Chanyeol’s eyes widened in joy. “That’s why I’m giving him a name. He shifted today! I think it exhausted him.”

 

“Well, if it’s his first shift, that’s understandable. Young ones aren’t used to shifting like us. It’s like growing pains, it’ll tire him quick.”

 

“You should’ve seen him. One minute he was a cub then poof! A naked baby boy! You should’ve seen his face, it was funny! I think he surprised himself and then he cried, the poor thing,” Chanyeol shared in mirth. The dame said he might have to get into town and buy baby clothes. Kris didn’t say anything but his mind was suddenly filled with thoughts of bringing Chanyeol into his pride. But Chanyeol wouldn’t want that. Not soon and not so suddenly. He knew Chanyeol’s ailure instinct would fight against being in another territory despite his human mind seeking company. It took some time for Chanyeol to even accept Kris, and that was only when Kris was in his two-legged shape initially.

 

Kris patted the still sleeping kit in its dame’s lap. Its ears twitched and a tiny dissatisfied growl could be heard before it rolled over, stuffing its face into Chanyeol’s middle. Chanyeol couldn’t help but be amused at the distinctly human behaviour. He could picture it even.

 

“Hyung, it is normal that his human form is still a baby? I thought he’d be older, at least like a toddler.”

 

Kris assured him that it was normal. They did not age the same way as humans. Their lifespan was longer.

 

“So, what’s this one’s name?”

 

Chanyeol looked down at the sleeping cub fondly. “I’m thinking…Sehun. What do you think?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I googled Tehla, and guess what? There really is a place called Tehla! It's a village somewhere in Slovakia and I didn't know this when I first started writing this story. It was just a random name I made up and not referring to the actual village. So this is purely accidental, and any resemblances to the actual Tehla are merely coincidental.


	6. A Song For Another Time (Interlude)

  _I was born to run… ‘cause I love the adrenaline in my veins_

\- Imagine Dragons

 

Interlude Part 1

 

Lee Wonho loved to travel. He picked the right career when he decided to be a travel photographer. And he got the skills too, having a unique eye for things. His work was never ever dull and far from a hassle. And his taste usually agreed with his company’s assignments. Wonho was the picture of a successful youth; he loved what he was doing, the odds were always in his favour and his work is both his passion and his generous moneymaker - his life was a riot. He loved nature too, the sensitive and freedom-loving man that he was.

 

Since he was a teen, he began to get really curious that he tried almost everything life could offer. He was self-conscious then. What he felt could make him look better, he did. He tried mixed martial arts, taekwondo, swimming, and that one time, track and gymnastics. It was not all good. Like other reckless impulsive teenagers, he was not immune to wild nights of partying and booze. But those were long abandoned when he became rather health obsessed. And what really got him hooked was none other than hiking. Like all the other sports he tried his hands on, hiking was initially for him to shed some weight off. Wonho felt nothing made him feel more settled than after a hike. He could spend all day trekking if he was not a photographer. He probably could make a living out of it if he tried.

 

When his e-mail notification popped up with his new assignment, he could not be more elated.

 

The town was different, rather rustic but at the same time full of life. The Tehla rainforest was its background and this place was known as the main tourist attraction for the beautiful and exotic werecats. If Wonho decided to settle, this would be in his top five idyllic places to live in. The first few days were tiring; Wonho still working off his jetlag and exhaustion after flying straight from Budapest. Almost two weeks after, he felt like he could get on one of the tours into Tehla jungle. He decided to do it some other time – if there was one thing Wonho got, it was an ample amount of time. Company policy and all that – take as much time as he could to get inspired and bring back masterpieces.

 

His B&B was quaint, run by a cheerful grandmother and her tease of a grandson. They were both helpful when he asked where the hotspots were in their lovely town. It was a good thing Wonho read maps real well that before long he could walk anywhere without much assistance. He even managed to get some shots in, trying to get a feel of the place.

 

Interaction with the locals he met was bound to happen and that was when Wonho found out that the werecats- the _ailures_ also mingled with the townsfolk. They told him if he knew where to look, he could even talk to one. So of course Wonho asked to be pointed to in the right direction. And that was how he found himself walking in awe through ceiling high collections of vinyl records in a music store a few streets from his current lodging. He did not know what the ailure looked like, rejecting any information about said person. He wanted to find out himself and was grateful with the address he snagged.

 

What he did not expect was to come face-to-face with a looming mass of a broad-shouldered, half-naked man. Somebody should have warned him that the mysterious ailure was an exhibitionist.

 

-I-

 

Everyone who knew Ravi Kim knew that he was head over heels in love with his wife. Not that it was a bad thing; it’s logical to assume you love the person you married. When you married for love that is. But everyone who knew Ravi couldn’t help but think that the man was stuck in his honeymoon phase. Never mind that he was married for five almost six years now and had gotten two beautiful children, gorgeous angels thanks to his wife’s and his superior genes. Ravi’s words. He was proud of his family, that one for certain.

 

Everyone who met Ravi would know within minutes that he was a fool in love – a fool for his wife. Nobody really blamed him. Those lucky enough to have seen Leona (‘ _please, I prefer Leo_ ’) in person could understand. Ravi obviously loved to talk, almost to the point of bragging, about Leona and his children. He never ran out of anecdotes to tell. His phone, with its pitifully cracked screen, would come out of his pocket just for Ravi to show his friends a new photo of Leona, accompanying his tales.

 

Usually they wouldn’t get to see much of her face. Only the back of her head or the barest hints of her profile were visible. In those pictures, Leona would have always turn away from the camera, seemingly unaware that she was being photographed, focusing instead on a cooing baby boy as if they were conversing, or cuddling a sleeping female toddler with wild hair. No doubt Ravi’s fault. His own hair was a disaster. Sometimes, in those photos Ravi’s hand or arm would make an appearance, recognisable from his tattoos, holding Leona’s slim fingers atop their child or just lain beside the young ones.

 

Now Ravi was naturally a quiet person, but not too quiet. He talked when he was spoken to and kept silent when the attention wasn’t on him. In his line of work, Ravi of course had to talk and work together with other people. More often than not, he spent his days cooped up in his studio composing the day away. He was social, perhaps one could call him an ambivert, but he cherished his alone time too. He was an enigma really. Which was why Hakyeon knew that Ravi may tell stories but he was an excellent secret keeper.

 

Hakyeon Cha had known Ravi since he was an awkward gangly teenager. He was close to Ravi and had met Leona several times, even volunteered himself to babysit when Ravi wanted to take Leo out on dates.

 

Hakyeon also knew that Leona Kim née Jung was not entirely human.

 

She was an _ailure_. The “politically correct” term for her species.

 

Hakyeon had never seen her other form but he knew that Leo was a pureblooded white Barbary lioness. Her ailure colouring transferred to her humanoid form, making Leona one of the most beautiful people he had ever seen. He also knew that there were not a lot of her species around anymore, because of a ruthless genocide of her kind almost 20 years ago.

 

He found out shortly after Ravi, in his panicky state, told Hakyeon that Leona was pregnant. That was in 2013. He crazily muttered a litany of _impossible_ that Hakyeon irately misunderstood as Ravi not wanting the baby. Only after Ravi was thoroughly yelled at with not so positive words on how dastardly he was behaving that the younger man told him the truth.

 

“Hyung, Leo is an ailure. She wasn’t even supposed to get pregnant. I didn’t know she could- _we_ didn’t even know she could even conceive _._ ”

 

Ravi sat him down, telling Hakyeon that he and Leo had resigned to not having children because Ravi wasn’t an ailure and of a different species entirely. He went on and on on what an ailure was and their different biology. Ailures carry their young in their natural four-legged form, until they gave birth. And when a totally humanoid Leo told Ravi that they were expecting – that she was in fact pregnant – Ravi was overwhelmed. It didn’t mean he was going to abandon Leo now that he found out he was going to be a father. A teary Hakyeon could only sighed in relief and not so gently punched the younger man for worrying him.

 

“Have you talked to Leona about this? I mean what are you going to do?”

 

That sent Ravi into another spiral. In his shock, he had left his then-girlfriend at their apartment only telling her that he needed to process his thoughts. Hakyeon yelled at him some more.

 

Thankfully, that was all in the past.

 

 

-II-

 

 

The only indication Leo heard her husband approaching was the slight twitching of her adorned left ear. Ravi hugged her waist from behind and when he loudly exhaled, Leo could feel the slight vibration of his chest. Her husband’s lips were lightly grazing her exposed shoulder. Subconsciously, Leo tilted her face and Ravi nosed at the sharp jawline. If it were up to Ravi, he would be glued to Leo’s back forever, not that she minded. But she was cooking and needed to move without restriction. She had ordered the man to take care of their infant son before she started. Thankfully, their daughter was with her paternal grandmother.

 

Gently, she caressed Ravi’s toned arm and patted at the limb.

 

“Let go,” she said. Ravi did after kissing the back of her sweet-scented head.

 

“Your hair is getting longer,” her husband finally said. Leo hummed as she stirred the simmering whipped cream.

 

“Are you going to cut it again?”

 

Leo shrugged. “Maybe.”

 

Her nimble hands were busy plating their lunch. She joined Ravi at their dining table, silently handing Ravi his cutleries. Leo produced a nondescript black hair band. Ravi watched as his wife slowly gathered her brown-tipped golden locks into a messy bun. His heart fluttered. Leona wasn’t doing anything other than giving him a glance but Ravi was still falling in love.

 

“You going to dye your hair?” Ravi asked in curiosity.

 

It would be a waste to colour Leo’s beautiful pale honey curls. It was a pity Ravi’s genes were more pronounced in their children. Their daughter’s nightmarish curls were dark brown. And he thought their second child’s hair would be dark too. Maybe he could persuade Leo to have a third child – just to see if their offspring would get their mother’s feline eyes, her natural golden hair or Ravi’s favourite – her smattering freckles. Their daughter already had some on her nose. He wondered if Leo would smack him if he really suggested it.

 

Leo shrugged again. “Maybe not this time, I’m getting tired of getting them coloured.”

 

Ravi couldn’t help the goofy smile he sported, as if he were told he had won the lottery. And Leona rolled her eyes at her dork of a husband.     

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Interlude Part 2

 

Today was one of those days. Moving day.

 

Jaehwan Lee just got assigned a new room and a new roommate, someone who would most likely be a first year student. His university’s idea to promote unity was kind of exhausting given certain times. He wondered whether it was really working. He’d been lucky so far with his previous two roommates but he couldn’t have known for sure without the statistics. He got along with them but it was just to that point of being “friendly but still very polite roommates”.

 

Jaehwan got to the room first. It was bigger than his previous two rooms, like a studio apartment. There was even space for a tiny kitchenette on one end of the room, slightly obscured by a divider. A bathroom on the opposite side of the pantry, a window between them. And two single beds, one against the side of the bathroom wall and the other closer to the door. Two identical wardrobes were placed facing the beds, on the same wall as the kitchenette.

 

Plenty of space to move around. Jaehwan couldn’t help his sounds of satisfied appraisal. The place was really nice. Perks of being a final student maybe. Oh that reminded him, he didn’t see his roommate’s name before coming in.  

 

When he got to the exterior side of their door, he saw the names on the small plates just beside it.

 

_610_

_Jaehwan Lee_

_Justin Jung_

 

He wondered what his new roommate would be like.

 

 

-I-

 

 

“Hyuk-ah,” his sister said, “why do you have to grow up so fast?”

 

Hyuk snorted before letting out a full-bellied guffaw. Leo stared up at her younger brother, nine years younger than her, waiting for him to stop. Hyuk cooed at her, carefully gathering her into his arms and stroking her back softly. Leo hugged him tight as if she could stop him from growing taller and older and going away from her. At nineteen, Hyuk was already so tall that her eyes were level with his chest. She hugged him as if she was sending Hyuk to war instead of to his new dorm room where he would be staying for the next three years. As a university student.

 

“Noona,” Hyuk smiled, letting his arms rest on Leo’s shoulders, “you can let go now.”

 

A muffled ‘no’ made him laugh again. And her embrace tightened. Hyuk almost forgot how strong his sister really was despite her slender chicken limbs. Well not so slender on the belly, with Leona being eight months pregnant. If it weren’t for her stomach, she would most definitely crush him to her.

 

“I wish you don’t have to go,” Leo muttered into Hyuk’s shirt, “you’re leaving me. How could you?”

 

“Ravi-hyung, please take your dramatic wife before she kills me with her _love_ ,” Hyuk jokingly called out to his brother-in-law who stood a few feet away from them, Leo’s handbag dangling awkwardly on his arm. Leo blindly smacked her brother’s neck.

 

Ravi sighed at his wife’s antics.

 

“Really noona, I have to go now,” Hyuk said, and forced Leo to look at him, tilting her head with his hands. They were standing in front of his dormitory building and some people passing by were starting to look at them weird. And not just because of their looks.

 

Leo only gave him a sad look.

 

“I promise I’ll come visit, okay?”

 

“You promise?”

 

“Of course! How else am I supposed to get fed? I need food to survive school.”

 

Leo frowned and slapped him again. She told Hyuk to stop joking before Ravi finally intervened. He looped his free arm around Leo’s chest and pulled her into his side. The blonde-haired woman put her arms around Ravi’s middle out of habit while she was in the middle of talking Hyuk’s ears off. ‘Don’t forget to drink lots of water, it’s getting cold, eat at least one fruit a day, stop eating too much junk food, text me updates, video chat me every Tuesday night, lock your door and windows before you go to sleep, don’t just spend your time with Hongbin, make some friends you listening to me’ and she went on and on. Hyuk cheerfully nodded occasionally saying ‘yes’, only half paying attention as he gathered his backpack and two suitcases.

 

“Okay, noona. I’ll text you and see you next weekend, I think,” Hyuk pecked his slightly frantic sister on the cheek, and nuzzle-bumped her nose in farewell. He quickly dashed through the automated glass doors before Leo could hug him again. And into the lift he went. Freedom at last, he smiled pushing the button numbered ‘6’.

 

Meanwhile, Leo was looking at the disappearing form of her brother and sighed in defeat, resting her head on Ravi’s shoulder.

 

“There, there,” Ravi said consolingly. A tiny hint of amusement seeped into his voice.

 

“Why don’t we pick up our kid from my parents’ house and spend the day out? She won’t grow much overnight and this one is definitely not leaving you so soon,” Ravi pointed at Leo’s stomach.

 

Leo glared at her husband’s attempt at humour as they walked away from the dormitory yard.     

 

-II-

 

Jaehwan was in the middle of perusing his open suitcases, sitting in between the beds, when he heard the telltale sound of key unlocking the door and suitcases rolling in. He smiled excitedly. It must be his roommate! He stood up and was immediately face to face with the man.

 

His heart skipped a beat.

 

Justin Jung was a gorgeous man with an Eurasian face. He was taller than Jaehwan and had a really nice smile, and really nice broad shoulders. He was paler than Jaehwan too. His hair was a perfect dishwater blonde swept carelessly away from his face, although some loose strand covered a bit of his left eye. His _eyes_. Jaehwan gulped.

 

His new roommate stepped closer to him and Jaehwan could see the clear amber of his almond-shaped eyes, almost matching the shade of his hair. The light from their window really did a good job at creating a halo on him. Everything about him looks magical and shiny. He even smelled nice.

 

“Hi,” his roommate said, voice a dulcet tone. “I’m Justin, but just call me Hyuk. It’s nice to meet you.”    

 

“Nice to meet you too. I’m Jaehwan Lee,” he replied in a small voice, so unlike him. He shook Hyuk’s nicely shaped hand in greeting.

 

Hyuk’s eyes crinkled, almost disappearing as his smile widened, showing nice rows of teeth. “Please take good care of me.”

 

Jaehwan felt like fainting.

 

Almost six months later, Jaehwan still felt the same whenever Hyuk grinned at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this has been stewing in my laptop for ages. Real reluctant to post it because I have no idea if it went well with the story or plain outta place. But yeah I'm posting it because I'm a big fan of LR (their love is real nobody fight me on this or I'll make both of us cry). I love Chained Up era and for the purpose of this story Leo and Hyuk are natural blondes. And Leo's Dynamite era make-up, and Hyuk's Shangri-La look. And I obviously love Hyuk too much not to feature him. This was written way before Leo decided to be blonde again (I think I really am psychic sometimes). Also I have no idea what Monsta X's Wonho's real name and last name is, so Lee it is (not to stereotype or anything).
> 
>  
> 
> Also I don't want to post anything sad with Jonghyun's recent passing. May you rest in peace, Kim Jonghyun. You will be remembered as the strong and angelic muse you were.


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